


What You Need Now

by danke_rose



Series: Vacations and Getaways [2]
Category: X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: Bathtubs, F/M, Friends to Lovers i guess, Swimming, Vacations, fake newlyweds, there were two beds but who needs the second one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:22:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22895599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danke_rose/pseuds/danke_rose
Summary: Kitty has a bad day.  She and Kurt sit around looking at travel magazines and decide to take a vacation to a tropical resort.  Too bad the reservation got booked as a honeymoon.
Relationships: Kitty Pryde/Kurt Wagner
Series: Vacations and Getaways [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1961269
Comments: 39
Kudos: 17





	1. It Began With Slime

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Velvet Sweetmine](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14236101) by [NiuNiu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NiuNiu/pseuds/NiuNiu). 



> There is an extremely brief, passing suggestion that children were being hurt by some evil doctors in the very beginning. It's like one sentence or so, and is not mentioned again; it's the catalyst for Kitty's bad day but I wanted to make sure folks know it's there in case you're sensitive. You can skip the first few paragraphs if you want to still read the story.
> 
> I wrote this not intending to publish it, but as a filler for myself between fics. I used a prompt from an authorless book I found in Target called 300 Writing Prompts. The prompt was "What do you need right now?" And then NiuNiu went and wrote that beautiful oneshot of Kurt and Kitty in the hammock and I couldn't (can't) stop thinking about it. So this was definitely inspired by that, too. But anyway, this thing is completely self-indulgent because I wasn't originally going to publish it. Total pile of sappy goodness, the stuff I like. :-) I decided to share because I just like supporting this tiny corner of fandom, and why not? Maybe someone else wants to read multiple chapters of two idiots pining for one another and being completely dense until they finally figure it out.  
> There's some sex, but it's not the focus and it's not very explicit.

Kitty nearly fell into her room, she was in such a hurry to get her filthy uniform off and shower. She'd been slimed before, more times than she cared to think about, but it wasn't the kind of thing she could get used to. The water was hot and she let it wash over her for several minutes before turning to the task of actually getting clean.

She considered the day's events, typical of their lives in so many ways, and yet still horrible. Scientists, evil experiments, _children_. And so much slime. She scrubbed at her hair, trying to get it all out, and thought about cutting it short again. The tears caught her by surprise.

By the time she was finished with her shower, she was crying in earnest, which made it hard to find her clothes. She grabbed the nearest shirt and pants and pulled them on, needing something to take away the aching in her heart. She sat on the edge of the bed trying to pull herself together before giving up and slamming her hand onto the wall console for the mansion's security system.

Her inquiry was noted and a response produced, and before the computer had finished speaking she was phasing through the walls and floor to the hallway outside the Danger Room in the sublevels. The light above the door was still red, so she phased up to the control room, wiping at her eyes as she went. Crying was such a nuisance. She wiped again and looked at the screen, noting the program in use. The Three Musketeers. She opened the blast shield window and peered out, searching.

She tried to compose herself again, but it was no use. She pressed the button for the microphone. “Kurt?” she said, trying not to sound like she was crying.

He froze mid-swing and halted the program. “Kätzchen?”

The sound of her pet name made her chest heave. She shot through the window and floated to the floor as he ran to meet her.

“Are you hurt? What's wrong?” he asked before she was even solid again.

She didn't answer him, just threw herself at him, letting him catch her and hold her. He folded his arms along her back and his tail wrapped around her waist as he gripped her and stroked the back of her head. She breathed against his neck, pressing her eyes shut against the sweat-dampened collar of his training uniform.

“The worst day,” she said, so he wouldn't worry anymore. “I just needed you.”

She felt him relax, but his embrace didn't falter. In hushed tones, he soothed her. “I'm here.”

He didn't let go of her until she lifted her head and breathed out, a long, cleansing breath. “Sorry I interrupted.”

“Don't be. Are you sure you're all right?” He rubbed her shoulders where his hands still rested, searching her red-rimmed eyes for the truth.

“Yeah. It was a really awful day.” Her voice caught slightly. “A series of them, actually.”

His grip was looser now, as she stepped back into the circle of his arms and his tail, her hands locking around his waist. He rubbed her back and she hugged him again, less desperation and more affection, an excuse to be close to him.

He closed down the program, and the Danger Room reverted to its normal stand-by mode. “Come on,” he said, patting her shoulder. “Let's go somewhere else. We'll sit and talk if you want.”

“I know you want a shower,” she said when they reached his room.

“I don't want to make you wait. Do I stink much?”

She laughed at that, and hugged him again. “No worse than usual.”

“Then the shower can wait. You need me now.”

She felt selfish for agreeing, but she had to unburden herself and he was so good about that—patient, understanding, reassuring. “Yeah,” she said quietly, “I do.”

He made her a cup of tea and she told him everything. When she was done, the tea was gone and she felt better for having shared the horror of the day with someone. Kurt laid his arm along the back of the couch, and ran his fingers through her hair, twisting strands around and tugging gently to unravel them. The strands clung to the short fur on the backs of his fingers, and the resulting sensation was like a scalp massage.

She closed her eyes while he continued, lost in the feeling, until at last he said, “Do you mind if I shower now, if you're all right?”

“Yeah, yeah, I'm fine now,” she said, blinking herself back to the moment. “Thanks. But maybe we can watch a movie after?”

“I would like that. I ordered a new one and it arrived yesterday.” He stood up and kissed her cheek. “You can wait here if you want, I won't be long.”

She stretched out on his couch, pulling a soft blanket over her shoulders. She was as comfortable in Kurt's room as she was in her own. There were magazines on the table where she'd set her tea, and she reached for them. One was for airline pilots and the other was travel. She opened that one, immediately drawn in by the images of luxurious accommodations over tranquil waters, or waterfalls and lush forests. She was still reading it when Kurt came out, toweling his hair dry.

“Are you going somewhere or just dreaming?” she said, not looking up.

“It was free,” he said as he sat down. “I believe I'm on some kind of mailing list. There are some beautiful places in there, _ja_?”

“Yeah. Look at this one. Can you imagine waking up in a treehouse like this? Looking up through the branches at the birds and the sky...”

He sat down beside her and tossed his shirt onto the table. “I'll show you my favorite,” he said, taking the magazine from her and flipping to the back. “This one.”

“Wow. How does water even get that blue? We've been a lot of places, but I've never seen anything like this. Have you?”

“ _Nein_ , not even in all my childhood travels.”

“I can't even imagine going on a vacation like that. Can you?”

He shook his head and handed the magazine back to her as she moved closer to cuddle beneath his outstretched arm. His chest was still damp against her back from his shower, but he was warm and comforting and she didn't want to be anywhere else.

Kurt was happy for her company. He hadn't said anything, but his own work the past few days had worn him down as well, stretching his patience and tolerance to its limit. He'd been working out some frustration in the Danger Room when she came in, but this was better. Sitting with with Kitty like this helped him more than any workout could. She had a way of setting his heart at ease.

Kitty reminisced. “We used to take vacations when I was a kid, but we never went anywhere like this. Well, we did go to a lake once, not one of the Great Lakes, this one was a few hours away. And we once flew out to Arizona to see one of my dad's relatives. But it was really hot and we didn't do much except go to the pool.” Her arm brushed across his bare chest as she flipped a page, to the next exotic, tropical destination resort. “Did you ever get to go on vacation?”

“No, but we traveled all the time. You could almost say the circus was a permanent vacation, in some ways.”

He rested his hand on her shoulder and rubbed idly at her neck. Slowly the tension began to lift, and she leaned more and more into him, eventually resting her head in the crook of his shoulder. He enjoyed moments like these with her, too few and far between with all the work they'd been doing lately. He began to relax, too.

Kitty could imagine how the circus might be a kind of living vacation. She knew Kurt had traveled around Europe, throughout Germany, and into France and Italy, staying there for extended periods of time with the circus. It was why he could speak both languages with some ease. Sometimes he talked about places they'd been or things they'd seen, and she enjoyed his stories.

“Beach or mountains?” she asked.

“Tough choice. They are both beautiful in their own ways. Can I choose both?”

“Sure, why not?”

“Then both, but I think I lean towards beach, in spite of the sand.”

“Okay. City or country?”

“Again, there is an appeal to both.”

She laughed. “Is there anywhere you _wouldn't_ go on a vacation?”

“Oh yes,” he said, “Florida, Limbo, Venice—”

“Venice? Why not Venice?” She craned her neck to see him.

“Because of what happened there when you were with SHIELD. That's where the Sidri were.”

“Right, I remember now.” That was where the aliens had nearly killed him before the rest of Excalibur had shown up. “Okay, yeah, that's a good reason. I'll take it off my list, too.”

This was the kind of thing she did without thinking that made her such a good friend. She hadn't been there in Venice, when the mutated Sidri nearly held him prisoner, taunted him, and tortured him with their gelatinet. But she would no longer wish to go there because it brought _him_ bad memories.

“Now you,” he said, rubbing her arm affectionately. “Beach or mountain?”

“Beach, definitely.”

“City or country?”

“Country, because I grew up in a city. But sometimes city, it depends on the reason for the vacation.”

“Fair point. Anywhere you wouldn't go?”

“That volcano island that was Magneto's lair. St. Searle's boarding school.” Kurt laughed. “And...Barsoom.”

“Too risque for you, hm?” He nudged her ribs with his tail.

She shrugged. “That, and it wasn't what I'd call _fun_.”

“And a vacation is meant to be fun. No Barsoom then. I don't know that I'd go there, either, although the sword fighting was fun.”

Kitty turned the pages slowly, Kurt looking over her shoulder as he talked, his breath warm on her neck and her cheek. “I'd love to go somewhere like this,” she said, pausing at one of the tropical destinations, with images of clear, blue water stretching out to the horizon. “It's hard to believe this place is real.”

“ _Ja_ , that would be _wunderbar_.” He sighed into her hair. “Do you want to go to a tropical resort, Kätzchen? I will take you if you want.”

“Thanks, Kurt, but I don't see that happening the way things are around here lately. It just looks peaceful, that's all. And the water is so blue and pretty. But it would be amazing to see a place like this.”

Kurt shifted under her a little and put his chin on her shoulder. “I don't know if you remember this, but years ago, when you were very new here, Wolverine had a habit of leaving. He'd pack up a bag and get on his bike and leave, with hardly a word to anyone.”

“I remember that. I think I was paying a lot more attention to Piotr at the time, though.”

“You were. But my point is, if we want to go on vacation, we should go.”

 _We should go_. She thought about it. Whole days away, no jobs, no missions, no slime. A stack of books and stupid magazines and nowhere to be. And Kurt. It sounded impossible.

“It _would_ be nice,” she admitted.

“Then let's do it. They won't kick us off the team, if that's your concern.”

Slowly, a smile pulled at her mouth, and she decided it wouldn't hurt to consider it. “Okay. Where would we go?”

“I hear there's a wonderful vacation package at St. Searle's...”

Kitty elbowed him playfully. “A beach?”

“Ja, let's go to the beach.”

“We could drive down the coast to Myrtle Beach,” Kitty suggested.

“I was thinking something a little more tropical,” Kurt said, tapping the magazing.

“Are you serious?”

“Sure, what's to stop us?”

“Our jobs?”

He wagged his finger. “No, X-Men don't get fired for going on vacation. Sometimes they get called back early, but we could always forget our phones.”

Kitty had to stop and think. He was talking about going on a real vacation with her, leaving their phones at home, going to a resort...her heart began to beat faster as she tried to quell the hopefulness it brought up.

“I think we should take the phones,” she said. “But...we could go somewhere else. What about something like this?” The picture showed a row of tiny huts stretching along a boardwalk into the sea.

“It looks beautiful, but I believe that is a honeymoon resort.”

Kitty blushed. “No, it isn't. It says _family_ _friendly_ right here. And I said _like_ that one. That place has to be crazy expensive.”

He'd been to tropical islands with the X-Men, and with other women. One other woman, one he didn't like to remember too much. It would be so much better to go with someone he really cared about. One he loved. He couldn't believe she was seriously considering it. He leaned back and rooted around in a drawer of the end table, then pulled out several more magazines.

“Oh, more!” She leafed through them and decided he did have a favorite destination. “You do prefer the beach, don't you?”

“Maybe,” he said with a grin that meant yes. “I'm sure we can find a suitable destination in here somewhere.”

Kitty picked a new magazine and started paging through. She and Kurt hunched over the coffee table, comparing resorts in their respective magazines. She put her hand on his and stopped him. “You know what? It doesn't even matter where we go.”

“Then why are we doing this?”

“I mean, because I always have fun with you.”

He beamed at her. “I keep you around to flatter me,” he said, and she laughed.

He pulled his shirt on over fur that had finally dried. “What would we do all day at a place like this? It is nothing but a hut on the water.”

“There's a list of stuff,” she said. “They have everything, and the hut's just where people stay at night or, y'know, whenever.” She blushed again. “Kurt? Are we _really_ going to take a vacation together?”

“Why not? I have a Blackbird. We both have stipends, and no one I know ever uses those. We are both overworked and under a great deal of pressure every day, especially lately. Don't you think we've earned some time off?” He hoped he didn't sound too desperate. “If you don't want to, we don't have to, of course.”

“I do.” She paused. “Just you and me?”

“ _Ja_ , unless you want to invite more friends.” _Please let her say no to that idea_.

“That's up to you, too,” Kitty said, not wanting to sound too eager to get him alone. “But it would be fun, just the two of us.” If they did this, there was no way she wanted anyone else to come along.

“I agree.” He picked up another magazine and laid it on the coffee table.

“You don't think it's weird or anything?” Kitty said, halting his hand as it turned the pages.

“Weird?” His heart sank. She was going to back out. “Why?”

“I don't know...” she didn't want to say it out loud, but these places were romantic, and the two of them weren't, unfortunately. “You don't think it's too... _couple_ -y?”

Reluctantly, he had to admit she was right. Most of the really beautiful places were geared toward romantic couples getaways. Too bad she didn't know how he really felt about it. Sometimes he let himself imagine that in the right circumstances she might fall in love with him. “We could go somewhere else. What about a city? Seattle or maybe Denver?”

She ran her hand longingly over the image of shallow water beneath a villa, white sand in the distance on the beach. “I guess we could,” she said.

It might be a risk, but he wanted to have fun, and he wanted to make her happy. “I don't want to go to a city,” he said. “If we're going to do this, I want to go where we _want_ to go.”

“Me too,” she said.

“Here,” he said, going back to one they'd looked at several times. A long wooden jetty extended over shallow blue water, with rows of villas on either side. “This one is family friendly. We're family, _ja_? Let's go here.”

Kitty grinned suddenly, the earlier weight of the mission gone at last. “I love you,” she said and kissed his cheek loudly. He was caught off-guard only long enough to understand how she meant the words, before he returned them.

“I love you, too,” he said, and gave her a squeeze.

They stayed up half the night planning. After the exhausting mission, her emotional reaction to it, and then the surprise of finding out Kurt wanted to take a vacation with her, she found herself drifting off more than once in his arms.

She remembered leaning against his shoulder while he talked, and then she was waking up on his couch with a pillow under her head and a blanket over her.

“ _Guten_ _Morgen_ ,” he said when she sat up, rubbing her eyes. He leaned on the back of the couch, chin on his arms. “Sleep well?” He was already dressed, and looked like he'd been up for a while.

“Uh-huh,” she mumbled, and yawned. He leaned over and kissed her head, then told her to take as much time as she needed as he was off to work out.

  
  


When she finally roused herself and headed to her own room, she pondered the previous day's events. What a turnabout, to go from miserable, slimy, and distraught to planning a vacation. And not any old vacation, she reminded herself. Tropical, inclusive, with stuff to do, a private villa...it was not the kind of trip she ever imagined she'd get to take. The added bonus of going with Kurt was particularly appealing. A week of Kurt walking around in nothing but swim trunks wasn't something she'd turn down lightly.


	2. Day One

In the following weeks, they divided their time between planning, going on missions, and deflecting prying questions from curious friends. They spent the day before the vacation fighting rock monsters in Upstate, and when they got home Kitty couldn't finish packing fast enough. Because they were taking Kurt's Blackbird, they didn't need plane tickets, only their reservation with the resort. However, they did need a place to leave the jet, which meant a short flight from the main airport to the actual resort.

“Ready to go?” Kurt said, appearing in her doorway and dropping his bags. He was almost hopping in place with excitement.

“So ready,” Kitty said as she picked up her bag. “That mess today was ridiculous.”

“Agreed. Thankfully no one was hurt, and we had a peaceful resolution.”

Even though the team's newer jets were faster, flying anywhere in the Blackbird was still a short trip, and they arrived with time to spare. As soon as they landed, Kurt turned on the image inducer—necessary in a conservative foreign country. Within a few hours, they were standing in the main room of the resort, looking out expansive windows at the water beyond. It was as blue as the magazine photos and Kitty stared. They'd been around the world, traveled through dimensions, been to space, and through time. And yet Kitty was still amazed at the beauty around them.

A staff member assigned to their villa introduced herself as Hannah, and escorted them there. Kitty noticed the bikes outside, which all guests used to get around the resort. Hannah pointed out the personalized wooden tags just below the bike seats, and Kitty's eyes went wide. She looked at Kurt with surprise.

“Just married?” she squeaked out.

He shook his head. “It is a mistake,” he said. “Excuse me. These tags on the bikes—”

“Yes,” replied Hannah with a broad smile, “That is complementary for all honeymoon couples.”

“Yes, but—” he tried again.

“Please, we love to treat our guests, especially on such special occasions. All the extra perks, like your private seaside dinner, are included in the honeymoon package. Here,” she said, opening the door to the villa. She gestured at the sinks behind the knee wall at the head of the bed, “this is the washing up area.”

Kurt shrugged at Kitty, still boggled, and they followed Hannah through the villa as she showed them the bathroom and how to access the upper deck. Kitty stifled giggles when she saw rose petals scattered in the filled tub and on the bed. On the deck, there was a bottle of wine chilling in an ice bucket, and two glasses waiting. Kurt kept scratching his head, and Kitty tried to keep a straight face as Hannah outlined the additional benefits their package included.

When Hannah left, Kitty stood silently in the front of the picture window staring not at the beautiful view, but at Kurt, who was finally able to turn off the image inducer.

“So...what's going on?” Kitty said, letting her amusement show now that they were alone.

Kurt shook his head again, flustered. “I have no idea. I didn't book any kind of package, just six nights and seven days. I don't understand how this happened.”

“Well,” she said, “Looks like we're getting some bonus perks. Do you want to turn down dinner and wine?”

“No, I suppose not. As long as we aren't cheating the resort.”

“How much did this vacation cost?” she eyed him.

“Good point. Where's that wine?”

He shoved the wide glass door open and stepped onto the deck. There was a wooden privacy screen blocking the view on one side, but the other was open to the sea. Farther down, the next villa had a similar screen. Hammocks were suspended over the water, and there was an eating area built into the deck further out. A set of stairs led up to an upper deck with sweeping views of the water surrounding them.

The wine was chilling on the table, and Kitty abandoned her bags inside to join him for a glass. The view of the water was endless, the sky and water bright blues that seemed almost a mirror of the other. Kurt poured a glass for each of them and raised his for a toast.

“To vacations with best friends,” he said.

She clinked her glass against his. “Do you know anything about this dinner Hannah mentioned?”

“No, only what she said just now.”

Kitty laughed again. “We are _definitely_ going to take advantage of this.”

“Might as well. Hannah seemed certain that we paid for it.”

“Maybe we should call reservations and make sure. I don't want to get hit with a huge fee at the end or something.”

“That's a good idea. I'll call them after we finish our wine.”

Kitty pulled out her phone. “I got this.” She dialed guest relations and asked them to give her the details of their reservation. She listened carefully as it was read back to her, trying to keep a neutral expression so Kurt would be kept guessing. He leaned closer, trying to hear, and she got up, dodging his tail and skipping to the other side of the deck.

He finished his wine and went inside to unpack.

“Congratulations, _honey_ ,” she said when she came inside, “We're married.”

“ _Was_? We were only in Vegas one night,” he said.

“Apparently they put the reservation under the honeymoon designation and that is what we paid for.”

Kurt set his toothbrush next to one of the sinks and looked over the knee wall at Kitty, standing at the foot of the rose petal covered bed. She looked happy and amused and if she found the idea disconcerting at all, she didn't show it. Instead, she put her hands on her hips and regarded the bed like a puzzle.

“It's so pretty I hate to mess it up,” she said.

“Take a picture,” he said. “In fact, we should take one of the rest of the honeymoon decorations. Won't that give Logan a heart attack.” He hopped over the knee wall and swept her up in his arms. “Sit with me, Logan will gnaw his own claws off.”

Kitty laughed and pulled out her phone to take a selfie of the two of them lounging on the bed, and one where he was kissing her cheek.

“Should I send them right away or wait til we get back?”

“Wait. If you send them now, he might come after us and spoil our vaca—our _honeymoon_.”

Kitty went into the bathroom then, to photograph the huge glass-bottom tub. Red petals floated on the surface of the water, and through the bottom, she could see fish swimming by now and then.

Kurt peered down through the glass tub when he joined her.

“Are we pranking in here, too?” She turned a gleeful face to him.

He scratched his head. “I don't know... The tub is glass after all.”

“It's a really nice tub, actually,” Kitty said as she took a picture. “I bet it's as big, or bigger even, than the ones in Britain.”

“Bigger, I think. Hold on.” He poofed into the other room and returned in swim trunks. Heedless of the petals, he climbed in and let out a sharp gasp.

“ _Mein Gott_ , it's cold!”

Kitty laughed. “Well imagine how long it's been set up like this.”

“Take a picture quickly before I freeze to death in the tropics.”

She focused on the tub and when he sank to his neck in it, she snapped the picture, making sure to include the rose petals.

“I'll crop out the part with your shorts,” she said when he got out and wrapped up in a towel. “Go outside and warm up while I change. I'll meet you and we can swim.”

  
  


The warm sea was glorious after the cold bathwater. Kurt floated on his back and breathed deeply while the sun warmed his fur. Kitty joined him, and when she came onto the deck in her bikini, he had to make a concerted effort not to stare at her. She was beautiful, but more than that, she was his friend. She was kind to him, she cared about him, she made him feel human. He could list a thousand reasons he was attracted to her, and still find a thousand more. After a swim, they lay on the double wide deck chair in the waning sunlight. The water lapping against the pilings was soothing, and sea birds called occasionally in the distance.

“I already feel a thousand times more relaxed,” Kitty said. “This was genius.”

Kurt rolled over to let his back get warm. “Mm-hm...” he murmured.

“But we should probably get dressed for dinner,” Kitty said. “It's getting dark.”

Kitty threw on a sundress over her swimsuit and Kurt adjusted the image inducer.

“Make sure you're the same person all week,” she said as they headed out the door. “We don't want Hannah to get confused.”

“Newlyweds and you're already fooling around, such a shame, Kätzchen.”

“Oh, ha ha, as if I would.”

“Do you want 'Just' or 'Married'?” he asked as he read off the personalized plates on the back of the bikes.

“Just.”

Dinner was served on a veranda at the main building, with candles on every table. The lights of the jetty and the villas reflecting on the water were beautiful, and they could see the stars in spite of the resort lights.

The waiter, a pleasant gentleman named Al, congratulated them on their wedding. “Are you enjoying your stay?” he asked.

“Yes, very much, thank you,” Kurt said, flashing his eyes at Kitty, who was trying to stifle a laugh and smile pleasantly.

“Be sure to have your Villa Valet reserve your private beach dinner so you don't miss out.”

Under the table, Kitty's foot tapped Kurt's ankle and he coughed to hide his laughter. Al looked concerned but he waved it off. “I think we're ready to order,” Kurt said with a reassuring smile.

  
  


“If I make it through this week without laughing in someone's face, it will be a miracle,” Kurt said when the waiter left with their orders.

“Me too,” Kitty said. “I wish I could see your real face, so we could take another selfie for Logan.”

“We still can. He'll understand. Have Al take one when he comes back.”

Al was happy to take their picture, smiling over their meal, with the candlelight illuminating their faces. He encouraged them to lean closer, so Kitty got up and perched on Kurt's knee with her arm around his neck.

“That is a very nice one. Now give your new husband a kiss,” Al said, still holding Kitty's phone.

She gripped Kurt's shoulder like a vise, but he played along, the entertainer in him making it easy. He put his finger on her chin and turned her face to him, then tapped his cheek. Kitty obeyed. That was easy enough. She got up then and thanked Al.

“I almost want to show Logan in person so I can see his face,” Kurt said, unfazed by the waiter's request.

“I'd be afraid he'd gut you. Or me.” Kitty's heart was still racing. She'd kissed Kurt's cheek plenty of times before, but never had to do so while pretending to be married to him.

“Not if you're...” he lowered his voice. “...intangible. I, on the other hand, stand a very good chance of being harmed. Better than you, in fact.”

“He'd never hurt you. You're his best friend.”

Kurt shrugged. “But you're like a daughter to him. If he thought I was doing anything untoward, he wouldn't hesitate to take me out. I'm a bit surprised he let us get away with this trip.”

Kitty thought about that. “We better send these while we're away and then you stay close by so he can't slice you up when we land.”

  
  


After dinner, they walked on the beach until they couldn't go any farther, blocked by a wall of vegetation. Back at the villa, Kurt turned on a lamp, and they saw someone had tidied up the place while they were gone. The rose petals had been swept from the bed into a glass jar which now sat in the center of the table by the window. The tub, too, was drained and cleaned.

“Glad we took the pictures when we did,” Kitty said as she pulled her pajamas out of her bag and laid them on the bed. “Let's have dinner here tomorrow if we can.”

“I know we can have breakfast here, but I don't know about dinner. I'll ask. Any particular reason?” He wondered if the waiter asking her to kiss him had unnerved her, if she was afraid now about what other assumptions he might make.

She smiled sweetly. “I want to look at you.”

He felt the flush of embarrassment as he laid his pajamas beside hers. “Not the scenery?” He hoped she didn't notice his discomfort.

“That, too. I like your real face,” she said, and patted his cheek.

“ _Danke_. I like yours, too.”

Kurt found the outdoor light switch and turned it on, so he wouldn't be invisible while they sat outside. He stretched out on the deck chair and Kitty slid onto the other side, pulling her knees up to her chin.

“I'm really glad we decided to do this,” she said.

“Even with the, uh, confusion?”

“Yes,” she chuckled. “Even with that. It's fun.”

He turned his head to smile at her. “I agree. Like a game.”

“So are we sharing that bed or what?” Kitty said, wanting to get that discussion over with and hoping she sounded nonchalant.

“I hadn't thought about it,” he lied. “What do you want to do?”

“There's another bed, but, um, don't you think Hannah might wonder what's going on if they're both slept in?”

“Lovers' quarrel on our honeymoon?” Kurt chuckled. “ _Ja_ , I suppose in the interest of sparing Hannah's mental anguish, we should share the bed.”

“I agree. We're _only_ doing it for _her_.”

“ _Ja_ , it is an obligation to her, don't you think?”

“Absolutely.”

Kitty put her arms around her knees and looked at the water. This was the only part she'd been really nervous about. They'd shared train cars and tents and even beds before, but always out of necessity, never simply by choice.

“Do you want to go for a swim in the dark?” Kurt said, to alleviate the odd tension that had sprung up.

“Ooh, yeah, that's a great idea.”

The water access was a wooden ladder, and Kurt descended first to help Kitty in the dark. At least that's what he told himself. On the deck, Kitty pulled off her sundress and flung it aside, then peered down at him. “So, are you ready? Catch me!” she said and she jumped. She never feared he wouldn't.

He pretended to be knocked underwater and pulled her with him. They both came up sputtering and laughing, and spent the evening playing around. She didn't shy away from his hands at her waist, and he thought she was inclined to hang on him, though it could have been his imagination making it seem like more than it was.

Showers and pajamas and snacks on the deck later, they were still talking and laughing. Kitty began to yawn at last, and Kurt got up, extending a hand to her.

“We should get some sleep, don't you think?” he said.

She nodded and followed him in. Kitty wondered if she'd been procrastinating about going to bed because she was afraid it would be awkward. Kurt pulled the thin covers down, waiting for her to get in before shutting off the lights. The place was nearly pitch dark then, and she couldn't see him at all, except as a darker shadow among the shadows, with yellow spots that were his eyes.

She knew he could see her perfectly, sitting up in the bed, watching that dark shape move towards her, unafraid. He leaned over, kissed her cheek, and said, “ _Gute Nacht, meine Frau_.1”

“Good night, you silly Elf,” she said, and kissed him back, missing his cheek and catching him somewhere along the corner of his mouth.

He rolled away from her, and she was finally able to lie down and relax.

  
  


1Good night, my wife.


	3. Day Two

She slept far more peacefully than she expected to, and when she woke up she realized it was probably because she was pressed up against Kurt's chest, with his arm around her waist. That moment was worth every penny they'd spent on this crazy vacation.

“Good morning,” he said softly into her ear. He sounded sleepy and relaxed.

“Hi,” she said, wondering how long he'd been awake, and why he was still holding her like this, not that she was complaining. She stretched her legs, and he started to roll away. She caught his arm and held him gently, and he stopped resisting.

“Thought you were getting up,” he said, still in that quiet, sleepy voice, curling his arm around her.

“No. I'm on vacation.”

Kitty had no idea how long they stayed there, but eventually the rumbling in Kurt's stomach made her laugh.

  
  


As they ate breakfast in the main building, talking about what to do that day, Hannah came over and greeted them cheerily.

“How was your first night?”

“Wonderful, thank you,” Kitty said. “Everything has been very nice.”

“I'm so happy to hear that. Please, there are several things that require scheduling: your complimentary couples massage, champagne breakfast, and seaside dinner.”

Kitty nearly dropped her spoon. Fortunately, Kurt spoke up.

“Breakfast tomorrow morning,” he said to Hannah. “If that's okay with you, _honey_?”

Kitty caught a glimpse of that sneaky Elf smile in his eyes, and nodded.

“And the, uh, the massage...I think we might have to pass on that.”

“Oh no,” said Hannah, “I'm so sorry to hear that. Is there any particular reason?”

Kurt scratched his neck. “I'm not very comfortable with them.”

“Yeah,” Kitty said, speaking up with what she thought was a great excuse, “He hates having strangers touch him.”

“Oh,” Hannah said with a huge smile, “You can give his massage then.” _Crap_.

Kitty thought she might throw her spoon this time instead of drop it. “Up to you, Kurt,” she choked out at last. She was sure her face was red.

“Let Kitty have hers,” he said. “I'll pass.”

“Whatever you wish,” Hannah said, turning to Kitty. “When shall I schedule your massage, Mrs. Wagner?”

“How about today?” Kitty said, trying to swallow her tea, not inhale it. She wanted to get this over with. There was no telling what else they might have thrown at them. She could handle dinners and wine and breakfast and stupid bike tags. A _massage_? In a _spa_? _With Kurt_? No way. Across the table, he had his hand over his mouth to hide his amusement.

Hannah promised to return shortly if they would be willing to wait for her.

As soon as she was gone, Kitty grabbed Kurt by the arms. “What the hell?” she said. “This is getting out of hand! Next thing we know they'll want to offer us free videotaping of— _y'know_.”

Kurt laughed as she returned to her breakfast. “I highly doubt that, Kätzchen.” He reached over and patted her hand. “Have the massage, you deserve to relax.”

“What're you gonna do while I'm there?”

“I don't know. Nap, maybe.”

“Ha, you don't nap.”

“Only on vacation,” he said. Hannah returned then, smiling as always.

“I have wonderful news. The spa has an opening for you both at noon, and Mr. Wagner, they will provide a hot rock treatment for you instead of a massage. Now you can still enjoy your couples spa experience.”

“ _Wunderbar_ ,” Kurt said with as much feeling as he could muster. “Thank you Hannah.”

“No nap for you,” Kitty said.

  
  


They didn't go back to the villa after breakfast. Instead, they wandered the main building to see what other amenities were available. There was an exercise room and a sauna and a desk for different rentals.

“Who needs a sauna in the tropics?” Kitty said.

“Maybe it's not a real sauna,” Kurt said, bending close to her ear. “Maybe that's where they do their videotaping.”

Kitty whirled on him. “That's not funny,” she said, but she was laughing.

Finally they headed towards the spa, where a woman at a desk checked them in and confirmed Hannah's reservations. Kitty chewed her lip and shifted her weight from one hip to the other until Kurt put his hands on her shoulders and leaned down.

“We don't have to do this,” he said. “We're supposed to be having fun.”

“No, it's fine,” she said, reaching behind her to pat his head. “It might be nice. I'm just not sure about the, uh...” she gestured to her body, “...undressing parts.”

Before Kurt could reply, they were greeted by the spa employees and taken to the changing room. An assistant gave them both terry cloth wraps and instructed them to undress. Kitty felt frozen in place, woodenly holding the wrap and staring at the door where the assistant had departed. She could not do this, not like this.

Kurt put his hands on her shoulders, turned her back to him and said, “Don't turn around.”

She heard him undressing, and before he left, he tapped her shoulder. “All clear, _schatz_ ,” he said.

Kitty quickly changed and went into the main room, where the masseuse met her. She led Kitty to the massage tables, which were on a private patio behind the spa building. The tables faced the water but also each other. Kurt was already laid out on one of them, Gregory Peck's body covered with the terry cloth wrap. He shrugged with his hands when he saw her looking slightly nervously in his direction. It took a little finagling to get onto the table without flashing him.

Kitty wished the circumstances were different. If they were a real couple, she wouldn't have cared about any of this. But they weren't. It was all fake, and stupid, and she felt a stab of annoyance at having to pretend.

“Comfy?” Kurt said as she lay down.

“In what way?” she said, already feeling hot and wishing they'd insisted on skipping out.

Kurt reached across the short distance between the tables and took her hand. “Do you want to leave?” he said, as the masseuse came out.

“Is anything the matter?” the woman asked.

“No,” Kitty said immediately.

Kurt cleared his throat. “My, uh, my _wife_ has never had a massage and she's a little nervous.”

“Please don't worry, ma'am, everything is done at your comfort level. It is meant to be relaxing.”

“Thank you,” she said. But it didn't help. Her discomfort had nothing to do with the massage and everything to do with Kurt being here with her when she was naked on a table next to him.

By the end of the massage, she had finally relaxed, and managed to enjoy most of it. Kurt seemed to enjoy, or at least tolerate the stone treatment. They spent the time making interesting faces at each other and trying to guess what the other was thinking. When they met up again after changing, as they had before, Kitty hugged him and pulled him down to kiss his cheek.

“Thanks.”

“For what?”

She shrugged. “Making that fun. It was dumb to be so nervous.”

He shook his head and put his arm around her shoulders. “Not at all. And fun is our goal this week, _ja_? To have fun and relax, and anything that isn't either of those isn't worth doing.”

They had reached their bikes and as they headed down the jetty, Kitty said, “I wish we had walked so I could hold your hand.”

  
  


At the villa, he propped his bike up and offered his hand to her. “Anytime, Kätzchen.”

“Did you really like that stone treatment?”

“It was, uh, _warm_.” He clicked off the image inducer as they walked inside. “But at least no one had to touch me. What a surprise they'd have, hm?”

Kitty changed in the bathroom and took her stack of magazines onto the deck. Kurt was already swinging in an over-water hammock with his eyes shut. She made herself comfortable on the lounge chair and started leafing through the magazines Jubilee had insisted she bring. The articles seemed like variations on a theme. How to get someone to notice you. How to look prettier. How to do various things in bed. Kitty started laughing.

“I can't believe she wanted me to bring these,” Kitty said.

“Who? Bring what?” Kurt said, not opening his eyes.

She held up the magazine. “Look,” she said. “Jubilee sent me with this and a stack of other ones.”

“What's wrong with it?” Kurt said, squinting in the sun. “It looks like a fashion magazine.”

“Uh, yes and no. It's less fashion and more relationships. Mostly sex. Here.” She tossed him one.

“And why did she want you to bring these?” he said as he flipped the pages, occasionally looking over at her with a curious expression.

“I guess she thinks I'll get back with Piotr or something,” Kitty said, the humor gone from her tone. “But I'm only reading them for fun.”

Kurt kept the magazine, thumbing through it while he tried not to get upset at the mention of her ex-boyfriend. “And what do you think about Piotr?” he managed to ask.

“He'll always be my first crush, but I'm over him. I wish people understood that.” She sighed. “What about you? Any exes you still think about?” She didn't really want to know, but today was a good day for pouring salt in open wounds. Better to hear it all now.

“I think about a few of them, sometimes, but I don't want to get back together with any of them.” He turned a page and raised an eyebrow and set the magazine down again. “I thought you knew that.”

“You never said so. And some you've gone back to a few times.” She didn't have to say who.

After a brief pause, he said, “I think of it this way. Each relationship that ends is teaching me something about how to be better for the one that's meant to be.” He laughed. “I suppose I have a lot to learn. Good thing you brought these.”

Kitty laughed.

“ _Was ist das_ —is this really what women think?” he said, sitting upright in the hammock and making it swing precariously.

“I don't know, what is it?”

He shook his head adamantly. “No, I'm not reading it aloud.”

Kitty sighed as if it was a hardship to get up and join him in his hammock. He moved over carefully, and she sat down beside him. He pointed at the article, and Kitty laughed. “No. Well...I don't anyway.” She read a few more lines. “Maybe one of your exes thinks this...”

“It would explain a lot,” he said. It didn't matter. Kitty was in the hammock with him, and that was all he cared about. He lay back down and she tossed the magazine onto the deck to curl up with him.

They passed the afternoon in easy conversation after that, sometimes taking a break to dip into the water when the sun got too hot.

“Isn't tonight supposed to be that dinner on the beach?” Kitty asked, noticing the setting sun.

Kurt was flat on the deck after another swim, and he frowned as he thought. “I don't think so. I think it's tomorrow. I'm honestly not sure we asked Hannah to make that reservation yet.” He hopped up and went inside to dial her at the main building.

Kitty grabbed her stack of magazines and took them inside, catching the tail end of his conversation with Hannah.

He turned to Kitty, Hannah still on the line. “Tomorrow for the special breakfast, the next day for the dinner. And she said there are a few other things included. A sunset cruise and a cake. One each day?”

“Good grief. Sure. What's the breakfast?”

Hannah explained that breakfast of their choice would be delivered to their villa at ten, along with champagne and flowers.

“They'll set it up on the deck,” Kurt said, and finished talking to Hannah. To Kitty, he said, “Do you want the first shower?”

“No, you go ahead.”

  
  


Dinner was uneventful, and afterwards, they walked back to the villa hand in hand, stopping only so Kurt could do a long tumbling pass when no one else was on the jetty. He bowed to Kitty, and she clapped politely.

“I must be out of form to warrant such a bland response,” he teased, taking her hand again.

“No, I've just seen you do much more complicated moves.”

“I haven't been exercising here,” he said.

“Me either. It's great.”

Kurt chuckled and suggested they walk the full length of the jetty. At the far end, the water lapped softly against the pilings and there was an unobstructed view of the sea. The reflections of the moon and stars made a beautiful scene as they stood together. Kurt laid his arm across her shoulders fondly, and she imagined him standing beside her in his natural form, rather than with the false image of Gregory Peck superimposed over his face. She sighed.

“It is a beautiful night,” Kurt said. He stroked her shoulder with his thumb.

“Kurt? Why did you want to go someplace like this with me?” Kitty asked, made brave by the darkness and the peace.

He shifted beside her and pulled her closer. “Because you are dear to me, and I could see you had reached your limit.”

“Right, but why such a big deal place? We could've gone up to the mountains, or driven to the shore a few hours away. It still would have been vacation.”

“I thought you would enjoy it.”

She laced her fingers between his, where they touched her shoulder, and leaned her head against his arm. “I think it's about the nicest thing anyone ever did for me.”

“You paid for half of it, Kätzchen.”

“I know. But still...we could've done anything.” She hugged him tight. “I never thought I'd go on a vacation like this.”

“Not even for a real honeymoon?” he said as he hugged her back, with his arms wrapped around her, the way he often held her, like he was keeping her safe.

“No guarantee I'll get one.”

“Oh?”

They untangled and began the long walk back to their villa. People greeted each other with smiles and waves as if they were long-time neighbors. It was nice, but it only reminded Kitty that Kurt couldn't be himself here, and she thought of what he'd given up to do this with her.

“I know Piotr thought he'd marry me, but he also thought we'd move back to Russia and live on a farm and make hundreds of babies,” Kitty said after they'd passed a few other guests and the jetty was once again empty.

“You don't like that idea?” He was teasing, of course.

“Nah, I'd rather live in the States.”

He laughed. “But still make hundreds of babies?”

She elbowed him. “I don't know if I'll get married, that's all. And kids...that's a pretty huge responsibility, especially when they'll probably share the same x-gene and be outcasts too. Do you ever think about that?”

“Sometimes. When I was little, I assumed I would get married and have children. As I grew up, I realized it might not be a possibility for me, either marriage or children. Now...I think it's possible, but probably unlikely.”

They had arrived at the villa and went straight to the top deck. As soon as the image inducer was off, Kurt disappeared into the night. Kitty stared at the space she knew he occupied, unable to see him.

“Can I sit with you? It's weird not being able to see you.”

“Of course,” he said, and she heard him move over. The lounge chairs on the top deck were single, but still wide enough for two people sitting closely, and he invited her under his arm.

Kitty rested her hand on his chest, content. Everything felt so nearly perfect, from the view to the company. If only he would kiss her, then nothing could surpass that moment.


	4. Day Three

They were both naturally early risers, so there was a bit of a wait for their specially-delivered champagne breakfast the next morning. To pass the time, they splashed around for a while.

“What was that movie where the guy kept lifting the girl up in the water?” Kitty said after Kurt had given her a playful toss. “I can picture it...”

“No idea.”

“Anyway, he keeps trying to lift her for a dance or something—oh! It's Dirty Dancing. Did you ever see that?”

“I don't think so.”

“Okay, she's got to do this dance move on stage, but it's not safe to practice on land because she never—you know what, I bet you can do it.”

“Do what?” He regarded her skeptically.

“Lift me up.”

“Ah, I don't think that's a good idea. I have no idea what you're going to do.”

“Hold on.” She climbed out of the water, and he watched her, not sorry at all, as she ascended the ladder and went to get her phone. After a few minutes she found what she was looking for. “Aha! Look, watch this.” Kitty held the phone out and he climbed partway up the ladder to see it.

“Oh sure. I can do that. Is that what you want to do?”

“Yes!” She grinned. “Make me fly!”

The first time, she laughed too much and collapsed on top of him, sending them both underwater. After apologies, they tried again, and she managed to keep herself flat while he gradually fell back in the water, until she splashed down.

“That was so fun! Can we do it again?”

How could he say no?

  
  


The food arrived too soon, but once they had a few bites, Kitty wasn't sorry. There was breakfast and champagne—which seemed an odd combination but went together just fine—but also flowers in a vase and a small cake for later, which Hannah put into the mini fridge for them.

Before they sat down, Hannah asked if they wanted any photos, and Kitty jumped up, remembering her mission to send Logan to an early grave.

“Too bad she missed the flying earlier,” Kitty said. Kurt shrugged, thinking of his hands around her bare waist, and the way she laughed. She rarely laughed so easily at home, and was rarely so playful.

She handed her phone to Hannah and stood with her back against Kurt's chest. He put his chin on her head and his arms around her waist and Kitty held up a glass of champagne. Kurt bent to kiss her cheek again.

“Don't be shy, you can kiss her. She's your wife,” Hannah said.

“Right, ah, sure...” Kurt said, as Kitty set her champagne down.

“You'll only have one honeymoon, after all.” Hannah said and grinned, as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

Kitty eyed Kurt, wondering what to do this time. He began to smile, that devilish look came into his eyes, and he spun Kitty around and dipped her in overly-dramatic Kurt fashion. Hannah took pictures while Kitty laughed until Kurt kissed her.

It began chastely enough, but when he didn't immediately pull away, and she responded hesitantly, the result was a back and forth of increasing intensity. He lifted her as they kissed, one hand resting on her back as Kitty's arms slipped tentatively around his neck. Finally both of them stopped for breath and he stepped away from her, mesmerized for a heartbeat. Then he turned to thank Hannah as if nothing had happened, accepting Kitty's phone as Hannah reminded them they had only to call if they needed anything.

Kitty wasn't entirely sure what had happened, whether it was an extreme version of playing along, or if it was sincere on his part, but Kurt looked as confused as she felt when he turned around. He turned off the image inducer, eyes locked on hers, and rubbed his neck.

“That, uh, didn't go quite as I envisioned it,” he said, training his eyes somewhere in the distance. Kitty had learned to read him over the years, and usually had a pretty good idea where he was looking. He was not looking at her.

So they were still only playing along. Of course. Foolish of her to think otherwise. “Yeah. I could tell.” She forced a laugh and sat down at the table, eating mindlessly. Eventually Kurt joined her, dropping into the seat with an uncommon weariness.

“I didn't mean to get so carried away,” he said, pushing food around on his plate but not eating.

“It's okay. We're just playing around, right?” She looked at him through her lashes, not quite daring to lift her face.

“ _Ja_. Playing around, that's all.”

“Then eat, silly Elf. This food is good.” She was proud of herself for that act of nonchalance. She should get an award. “Hey, let's go paddle boarding after this. I always wanted to try it.”

“Okay. That sounds fun.”

  
  


An afternoon of being on the water paddle boarding and trying out a few other water sports drained them, and when they returned to the villa, all Kitty wanted to do was lie down. Kurt agreed, and when he came out of the shower, she was lying on the large deck chair in the shade, curled on her side.

“Are you awake?” Kurt whispered, leaning over her carefully.

“No.”

“You can take a nap if you want.”

“Mm-hm.” She patted the bed. “You can stay,” she mumbled.

He laid down beside her, curling around her and wishing he could tell her the truth. She woke just before dinnertime, yawning and looking groggy.

“Did you have a nice nap, Kätzchen?” Kurt asked when she sat up and stretched. He was on his back beside her.

“I didn't think I slept.”

“You did. Unless you remember me making a phone call?”

“Oh. No. Who was it? Not Logan...” Her eyes went wide.

Kurt laughed. “No. I plan to hold onto my life as long as possible. I asked Hannah to make us reservations at one of the underwater restaurants nearby.”

“Underwater? How does that work?”

“I think we'll find out in about...an hour and a half.”

“Wait— _tonight_?”

He looked uncertain. “Is that okay?”

“Yeah, of course.” She smiled and stretched as she got up to find something to wear. “I need a shower though.”

Kurt wasn't sure now that he should have made the reservation. Maybe she didn't want to go, but felt like she had to. There was nothing to do about it now, though, and he took out a shirt, deciding to dress in spite of the image inducer providing him all the clothing he could need. If the restaurant was air conditioned, it could get chilly.

Once he was dressed he went onto the deck to wait for her, picking up one of her books. He read the back cover and the first few pages. After a while, she still hadn't come out, so he set it down and turned, halting when movement caught his eye. Inside the villa he could see Kitty through the glass door. Her bag was on the bed and she was bent over it hunting for something in it. Completely naked. He could see the outline of her body, the curve of her spine and her back, the way her damp hair spilled over her shoulders.

He managed to look away with some effort. He fell back on the lounge chair again and breathed. In through his nose, out through his mouth. He got up and made sure to take his time going back inside.

She was wearing a dressy top and skirt and had no idea what had happened a few seconds ago. She patted at her skirt.

“I have a dress, but I thought I should save it for that beach dinner Hannah told us about,” Kitty said as she brushed her hair. “What?”

He was staring, he had to stop. He made a dismissive gesture and said, “Nothing, I was thinking, it doesn't matter what you wear. You are always beautiful to me.”

“Thanks, Kurt. That's sweet.”

They had to take a cab to the restaurant, but Hannah had arranged that, too. From the outside, the building was a concrete structure with a few windows in the front, but nothing that screamed “underwater restaurant” to Kitty. Just inside the front door, a hostess greeted them, checked their reservation, and led them down a wide staircase to the underwater level. Once they were far enough underground, the ceiling became a clear window, arching over their heads from one side of the room to the other. There were plants and fish swimming by outside the glass. Kitty wasn't sure how it was lit, but she was momentarily entranced by it. Their table for two was set against the clear wall, where they were visited by a small gray fish that seemed to look right at them before swimming away.

“I wonder if there are any sharks,” Kurt said as he read over the menu.

“To eat?”

“No,” he said, and tipped his head towards the glass, “Out there. I don't want to eat them, they're endangered.”

Kitty nodded seriously. “Finning.”

“Among other things.”

Kitty peered into the dark water beyond whatever was lighting it near the restaurant. “I think it's all beautiful.”

“Then you fit in perfectly.”

She narrowed her eyes at him across the small table. “Are you buttering me up for something? Because that's the second time in one night you've said that to me.”

“It's true, that's all.” He smiled. “Besides, I thought a good husband should compliment his wife, _ja_?”

“You're way too into this fake marriage thing,” she said.

A waitress took their orders and brought their drinks.

“Do you know the most beautiful thing about you?” he said, looking out the glass at a school of fish. It was a risk, he knew, to continue this line of conversation with her, but he was so, so tired of hiding everything from her.

“No...what?” she said.

“When we were trapped in that strange world Belasco created. You remember all those doppelgangers, and we had to figure out why we were there?”

“I remember.”

“You figured it all out. All of it. Even for me, when I couldn't. I always knew you were smart and you had saved our team numerous times by then, but it really hit me that day. It was beautiful the way you worked it all out, even with Piotr being obnoxious as he was.”

“Oh.” No one had ever said the way she _thought_ was beautiful. “That's a really nice thing to say, Kurt.”

“I think you saved my life that day.”

“Probably. I was always doing that.” She smirked at him.

“No argument here.”

  
  


The light filtering through the water around them made ripple effects on their food, and everything was cast in a slightly bluish light. It made him look more like his usual blue self but it was disconcerting, too.

“Next time we go on vacation, I want you to go as yourself,” she said.

“Kätzchen, you know I couldn't do that here.”

“I know. I wish we'd picked a place you could. I don't like it.”

“Neither do I, but it isn't that bad. Is it?”

“No. It's not that it's _bad_. It's that it isn't _you_.”

He took a few bites and chewed thoughtfully. “That matters to you?”

“What?” she said. “Seeing you? Yeah, but it matters more that you should be able to be yourself and not have to worry. That bothers me even more than not seeing you.”

“Why?”

“Nobody should have to hide who they are just because other people don't like it.”

“I love you,” he said.

“Aw, I love you, too, Kurt.”

She glanced up when a sizable shadow swam towards the glass.

“Kurt, look,” she said, pointing. He turned in time to see the shark swim past.

“They never stop swimming, I'm told,” he said, watching the shark in awe.

“And they grow new teeth all the time,” Kitty said. “And their bones are all cartilage.”

“How do you know so much about sharks?” he said, turning back from the window as the shark passed. He scooped up the last bite of his dinner.

“I watched Shark Week on television once when everyone was on a mission and I got left behind.”

“Not the same time that—”1

“No, a different time.”

“I'm sorry I missed it,” Kurt said as they waiter came by with the check. He didn't give Kitty a chance to argue about it. “This is my treat,” he insisted. “Since it was my idea.”

“Can we take a picture?” she said while they waited for the waiter to return.

He leaned across the table and she held her arm out, trying to get a good image. “I can't get both of us in it.”

“Come over here then,” he said, and she sat on his knee as she had before. “See, that works much better.” He wrapped one arm around her waist and propped his chin on her shoulder.

“Hey, when we get back to the villa, we should take one when the—” she tapped the image inducer, “when _that's_ off.”

“Certainly,” he said, and kissed her cheek before she stood up.

  
  


The villa was dark when they arrived after dinner, but the moon was high over the water, and the light spilled across the floor. Kitty opened the doors, letting the sea breeze in. The netting around the bed rustled slightly. Kurt shut off the image inducer and pulled his shirt off.

“I think I'll take a night swim,” he said as he tossed the shirt into his open bag.

“Okay,” Kitty said. She grabbed her swimsuit. “I'll join you in a sec. Maybe we can figure out how to get a picture?”

“We'll have the deck lights on. I don't want you smashing into the pilings in the dark, after all.”

“I'd prefer not to go to the Emergency Room in a foreign country.”

“I'm still a trained field medic, you know. I keep up my certification.”

She smiled at him with such affection he was momentarily frozen in place. “I know you'd take care of me.”

“ _Ja_ ,” he said softly. “I would.”

He went out to the deck while she changed, turning on the lights before jumping down into the sea. When she came out, he offered to catch her again, and she jumped off the deck without hesitation. They enjoyed the warm, dark water, splashing and floating and debating the merits of their favorite movies and television series.

While Kitty held onto the ladder to float in place, Kurt waded in front of her making his usual arguments about the superiority of Errol Flynn movies, while Kitty kept her face carefully neutral, and agreed with him in a spirit of friendship.

When he was done expounding, she said, “I think you have surpassed Flynn in the dashing department.”

He cocked his head at her and then smiled, that devilish grin that made her knees wobble. It was so unfair how attractive she found him. She thought of the effortless way he'd lifted her over the water to fly, how he could do a tumbling pass with barely a thought. He was strong and agile and she couldn't help but wonder what he was like in bed.

“You're blushing, Kätzchen,” he said coming close enough to put his hand on her waist.

She chuckled. “Am not.”

“I can see perfectly well, and you are definitely blushing. What are you thinking about?”

“Magazine articles,” she said, giving him a little shove. He was too close for her comfort, and his teasing was only making her face hotter.

He trapped her between his arms at the ladder, still laughing and joking around. “Cut it out, Kurt,” she said, turning serious.

He let go immediately, and swam back a pace. “Very sorry, _schatz_. I didn't mean to upset you.”

“You didn't. But I want to get out now, so uh...” she waved at the ladder. “So I'll get out.”

Once again he was left in the water to watch her ascend the ladder. He climbed onto the deck, after she was already inside. When he heard the shower turn on, he went up to the top deck to wait.

He should have known this wouldn't work, taking a vacation and pretending he wasn't in love with her. He let the sea breeze dry his fur while he perched on the deck rail, invisible in the dark. He heard her call for him and teleported back down to the main deck, startling her.

“There you are,” she said. “Shower's free.”

“ _Danke_ ,” he said, thinking how easy it would be to bend over and kiss her. He dared not, after the photo with Hannah and the look on Kitty's face afterwards, so shocked. She'd been gracious enough to forgive him, but he wouldn't take the chance again.

She was reading in the bed when he came out, still damp, with his sleep shorts clinging to his fur. He found his book and once he was as dry as he could get, he got into the bed. As soon as he had settled back, she moved over, leaning against him and fidgeting until he put his arm around her. He left his book closed beside him.

“Are you having a good time?” he said.

“Oh yes,” she said. “Are you?”

“Mm, _ja_ , very.”

“You wanna do something tomorrow?” Kitty closed her book, more interested in talking to Kurt for the moment.

“I believe tomorrow is our highly-touted romantic dinner for two on the beach.”

“What about during the day? We could try snorkeling if you want.”

“That could be fun. I have never done that before.”

“Me either. There's a class.” Kitty had read over the schedule while he was in the shower.

“Then why not?”

“Yeah, we might see a shark, who knows?”

He gave her a little squeeze. “If we do, I might blow our cover and ruin the rest of our vacation.”

  
  


They talked a while longer, until Kurt put both of their books on the nightstand and cuddled down on the bed, her head still cradled against his shoulder. Her eyes closed almost immediately, and he kissed her forehead.

“ _Gute Nacht_ , Kätzchen.”

“G'night Kurt,” she said, patting his chest where her hand rested.

1Kurt is referring to the N'Garai demon that Kitty killed on Christmas Eve


	5. Day Four

Waking up next to Kitty was quickly becoming something Kurt didn't want to give up when they went home in a few days. She was warm and soft and when she tucked herself against him, he could smell her shampoo. And she smiled at him when she woke up, every day so far, like she was surprised and delighted to find herself next to him. She was especially affectionate then, before she was fully awake. She would cuddle close and press her cheek against his chest contentedly.

“The bikes,” she said, picking her head up a little.

“ _Was_?”

“We should take a picture with them. With the tags. Logan will absolutely die.”

“ _That's_ what you were thinking of all night?”

“No.” She wasn't about to tell him _that_.

They went to the main building for breakfast, taking their time and strolling down the jetty instead of riding. Kitty said she preferred it to riding the bikes because she could hold his hand, and feel the reality of him even if she couldn't see it. Kurt didn't care if they walked or biked, but he liked that she wanted to hold his hand. After breakfast, they asked at the desk about snorkeling, and Hannah came out to talk to them. She arranged for them to attend the next class session and be done with everything in time for their dinner.

After their snorkeling adventure, they enjoyed ice cream before heading back to the villa to rest before dinner. Kitty complained that she couldn't eat dinner, she was too full of ice cream.

“It's a couple hours before dinner. You may change your mind. Would you like a bath?”

She was flopped on the bed with her hands on her stomach, and she tipped her head back to see him, upside down.

“Am I that stinky?” she said.

“No. It was only a thought.” He turned his head so she was no longer seeing him upside-down. “You look tired.”

“A little, but mostly I'm full of ice cream.” She sat up and groaned dramatically.

“I think I'll take one,” Kurt said, grabbing his things.

“Enjoy.”

Kitty went onto the deck to sit in the sun and digest her snack while Kurt filled the tub. He hadn't been able to enjoy a real tub since England, and while they'd been here, he'd only showered. It was time he took advantage of the tub at last.

He had only just lowered himself in, when Kitty banged on the door.

“I need a band-aid,” she said. The First Aid kit was under the sink.

“Ah, I'm in the tub, but, uh, go ahead and come in.” Honestly, he didn't care, but it wouldn't do to tell her that.

She phased straight through the door and to the sink, not even sparing him a glance.

“What did you do to yourself?” He said, sitting up when he saw blood streaming down her ankle. “You need more than a band-aid for that, Kätzchen.”

“I hit it on the end of a post and there was a splinter or something, I don't know.” She winced as she patted it with a washcloth.

“No, Kätzchen, you have to clean it,” he said, casting around for his towel. Just out of reach. He stood up and leaned towards the bench, wrapping it around him as he stepped out.

“Sorry, Kurt, you were finally enjoying the tub.”

“It will be there. Sit down and let me look at this.”

She sat on the bench beside the tub while he propped her foot in his lap and cleaned the cut on her ankle. She focused on his hands on her skin instead of the burning of the antiseptic. A few band-aids later, he released her.

“Thank you.”

He stood up and eyed the tub, the water now lukewarm. “Anytime, _schatz_. You're okay now?”

“Yeah. Sorry about your bath.”

He shrugged and pulled the plug. “Another time.” He'd rather she was in it with him anyway.

“I love you.”

Those words had been passed back and forth more and more frequently lately. “I love you, too, Kätzchen.”

She stood up and pecked his cheek before leaving him alone in the bathroom.

  
  


If Kurt had admired Kitty's outfit for dinner the previous night, he was more enamored with her dress when she emerged for dinner. He was a little sorry he hadn't brought more dress clothes, feeling a little under dressed.

“You'll be fine,” she said, dismissing his concerns. “Just use the image inducer.”

She was right, but he still felt like it was cheating.

“It is too bad this isn't a real date,” he said as he admired her dress and bowed low to kiss her hand. “You look absolutely lovely.”

“Thanks,” she said. Of course it wasn't a real date, but did he have to say it? “You look nice, too.”

“That's the hologram.”

She flashed a wan smile and he wondered what she was thinking. At the end of the jetty, Hannah greeted them and took them to the secluded beach area where their meal would be served. The sun had set and luminaries lined a giant heart in the sand. There was a vase of flowers and a glass of wine waiting, and once they were seated, their waiter, Al, came out to take their orders. Candles lit the table and while they ate, the stars seemed to light up, and the moon was again large and light over the water.

“It's gonna be so weird to go home and have to work again,” Kitty said as she sipped her wine.

“ _Ja_ , we are truly spoiled.” He was mesmerized by the way her fingers curled around the stem of the glass. Would she be that gentle with him, if she...he looked away, pretending to brush something off his sleeve.

“I'm a little worried about it, honestly,” Kitty said, oblivious to his internal distress.

“About what?”

“Sometimes I don't see you for weeks. I _hate_ that.” Kitty wanted to tell him exactly how much she hated it, but she didn't dare. He'd never be cruel to her if he found out about her feelings for him, but his kindness would probably be worse.

“We'll do our best to keep that from happening, but if it does, then we'll make a point of taking some time away afterwards.” He smiled. “I don't think we could swing another vacation like this, though. At least, not for a while.”

She could hardly believe what he was saying, so she joked back with him. “Xavier can afford it.”

“I'm never going to win any arguments with you, am I?”

“Have you ever?”

When they finished dinner, Al took their plates and showed them the dessert menu. Everything was intended to be shared.

“Do you have room for dessert?” Kurt asked.

She looked at the dessert menu. “Oh yes. If you do.”

He pointed to a cake. “Look at this. That looks delicious.”

“It does. Let's get that one.”

Al brought it out. At first Kitty thought it was a huge slice of cake, but it turned out to be a miniature cake in the shape of a heart. There were cherry halves all over the top, drowning in frosting and chocolate sauce.

“You have cake on your face,” she said. Without thinking, she reached up and wiped it away with her thumb.

She was caught for a heartbeat, staring at his eyes as her thumb brushed the corner of his mouth to wipe the chocolate away.

“Thank you,” he said, taking her hand in his and kissing the knuckles.

“Yeah,” she said. “You're welcome.”

He stroked her fingers. Kitty could hardly breathe. There was something so intense, so intimate about the way he was touching her just then. It was in the way his head was still inclined towards hers, the way he stroked each finger, the way he was looking at her. Could it be her imagination?

The moment was broken when Al brought a box for them to take home any leftovers. Kitty carried it as they walked down to the water line. She slipped off her sandals and let the little waves wash over her feet. Kurt appeared to be letting his shoes get wet, but there wasn't much he could do about that.

“They're going to be soggy,” Kitty teased.

“Then maybe we should head back and hang them up to dry.”

“Your pants, too,” she said with a laugh, nodding down at the false slacks.

“Such is the life on a tropical resort,” he said with a shrug. He grabbed her free hand and spun her in the water until she laughed.

He took the cake box and her sandals and set them out of reach of the waves, then took her hand to dance. He kept the beat, a quick one, and rocked back and forth as they danced in the surf. When he finally spun her out and back, and she stopped, panting in front of him, she looked away from his false face. Her hands rested at his shoulders and she could feel his real shirt, left open, and his fur beneath the hologram. With a sigh she passed one hand up to his face and closed her eyes, feeling the realness of his face.

He didn't move. He hardly dared to breathe. To his disappointment, she stopped, but then she laid her cheek against his chest to hold him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hair. “I do love you, Kätzchen.”

She hardly moved except to turn her face slightly and press a kiss into his chest. “I love you, too.”

He swayed with her there until she stood away and tucked her hair back. “We should take the cake...it'll go bad...”

“Right. We should...” He bent to retrieve it and hand her sandals to her.

Kurt wanted to teleport them directly to the villa, but he dared not with so many people around. Key to their vacation was not revealing their mutant status. He hated for the moment to pass. It felt like the opportunity for truth was slipping out of his fingers the more they walked.

At the villa, Kitty went directly onto the deck, leaving the doors wide open. The weather during their stay had been perfect so far, and this night was no exception. A slight breeze came off the water, the moon was bright, the water was quietly rushing against the pilings around them. Sometimes the sound of laughter echoed off the water from far away.

Kurt put the cake in the mini fridge, next to the other cake, which sat forgotten. He stood in the little space between the door and the bed and looked at Kitty in the moonlight. He'd fought monsters and villains and demons, but he didn't think he'd ever been this scared.

On the deck, she turned and held out her hand, and he didn't know if anything could have kept him from her.

“Look how pretty the water is,” she said when he reached her. She slipped her hand in his, something else he'd gotten used to the past few days. He hadn't thought this through at all. He hadn't thought about the implications of spending an entire week with her like this.

She pulled his arm around her shoulders and pressed against his side, tipping her head against his shoulder. His heart beat madly as he ran the backs of his fingers down her neck and shoulder. She took a stilted breath and inclined her head slightly. He did it again, gently pulling her closer and leaning to press his lips against her temple. She turned and ran her hands down his arms, staring straight ahead at the top of his chest.

“What are we doing?” she whispered.

“Whatever we want,” he whispered back, and he touched her face, tracing her lips with his thumb.

She blinked up at him and for a second, he thought she was going to pull away and refuse him. Then the corners of her mouth twitched and she smiled.

He leaned down, and she met his lips, a soft touch at first that made her shiver. He held her closer, but she was pressing into him, too, one hand behind his neck. She tasted like wine and smelled like the sea and every difficult moment up until then was rendered irrelevant. Nothing mattered but this, her lips on his and the soft sounds she was making.

They separated to breathe, and she nuzzled into his neck, panting slightly.

“I _love_ you,” he said, and it felt good to say the words, to know she understood them now.

She kissed his neck and her lips moved against the short fur there when she replied. “I love you, too.”

He kissed her again, he could never kiss her enough. He took his time, tracing her lips until she gasped, and nibbling at the corner of her mouth before pausing. She cupped his cheek and her fingers parted around his ear and followed the curve of his jaw, over his collar bone, to curl at the base of his neck.

“Would you like to sit and look at the water with me?” he said, waving one hand at the deck chair. She nodded, and as he sat, he eased her down, her legs across his lap so he could kiss her more.

Kitty ran her hands over his shoulders and arms and chest, pushing fur against the grain and back. She didn't know how long they sat there, kissing and cuddling, but when they stopped kissing, he made no move to get up, and she let the soothing sound of his breathing calm her racing heart.

“Logan really is going to kill you,” she said at last, and he laughed.

“There's still a chance I could live. All I've done is kiss you.”

“So far.”

He swallowed. “I've no intention of doing anything you don't want.”

“I never said you would.”

“Kätzchen, what...”

“Come to bed with me.”

  
  


Inside the villa, with the breeze blowing through the open doors, she shook her hair out and took off her dress. Kurt traced her spine, and he brushed her hair away to kiss her neck. He kissed across her shoulder, sliding her bra strap down. Her skin prickled as he kissed up her neck again to nibble at her ear, and his hands moved to the back of her bra. “May I?” he said.

She nodded and said, “Yes.”

She shrugged it off when the clasp went slack, and still he remained behind her, fingers raining down her back. Kitty started to turn, to ask what he was doing, when he wrapped his hands around her belly and pulled her against him. _Oh_. He'd been undressing. She could feel him now, pressing hard against her lower back, but he had her locked in place, hands moving steadily upward until he cupped her breasts with a sigh. He wound his tail between her legs and slid it under the leg of her panties, tugging slowly, allowing her plenty of time to protest, if she wanted to. She hooked her thumb in the other side of them and helped slide them over her hips.

Kitty waited for the moment he would no longer be patient and slow, when he would spin her around and pin her down. The thought only added to her anticipation, and if she tried to talk, she was sure her voice would be weak and wavering.

She reached up for him, raking fingers through his hair. His thumbs rubbed her nipples, teasing and circling them until she was squirming. Then he slid his hands down to her thighs and she whined.

“Let's get on the bed,” he said, and she nearly leaped onto it.

Before he could crawl up beside her she'd flipped onto her back, propping up on her elbows to look at him. “Were you hiding from me?” she said.

“No. Besides, you've seen me naked before.”

“I have not! When?”

“Didn't you walk in on me once when I was showering?”

“ _No_! That was definitely not me. How long have you thought that?”

He shrugged. “A while. It doesn't matter, I'm not _that_ modest.”

He leaned down and kissed her lips, one thigh resting between her legs while he massaged her hip and thigh. Kitty dragged short nails down his back, flattening the pads of her fingers against his buttocks and around his tail. She was surprised at the low groan he made as he lifted his lips from hers to kiss her neck.

They spent a long time kissing and touching, learning new things about each other and getting used to this new aspect of their relationship. The thought of Kurt, her dependable, sweet, swashbuckling best friend, being inside her made her nervous, but by the time it actually happened, she was long past any notion of stopping him.

When her mind cleared and her body stopped trembling and she could breathe again, he leaned up and kissed her neck. Kitty had the fleeting thought that nothing felt strange or awkward anymore, but _right_.


	6. Day Five

In the morning, Kitty felt pleasantly stiff, and rolled towards Kurt, whose arms and legs were draped over her. He was already awake. She wondered how much he really slept, because he seemed to be always awake before her and long after she went to bed. He kissed her cheek and her forehead and hugged her close.

She wondered if things would be very different between them now, or if they'd laugh and joke and talk as they always had. She snuggled closer, and he adjusted his grip to hold her more fully against him. She could feel him, hard and expectant against her, but he wasn't doing anything but holding her.

“What should we do today?” he said after a while. “There's nothing on our schedule at all today.”

Kitty yawned and sat up, and he rested one arm loosely across her lap, rubbing lightly at her hip. “Eat first. No, shower first, then eat.”

“That's a busy day,” he said, rolling off the bed and crossing to the bathroom. She didn't even pretend not to watch him. She got up and looked for her swimsuit and sundress.

He kissed her when he came out of the bathroom. “You could join me if you want,” she said, and he hesitated only a heartbeat before nodding. Maybe he had woken with the same worries she had.

It was easy to talk to Kurt, usually. She could think of times she hadn't, when she should have, and times she had resisted talking to him because she knew what he'd say to her and she didn't want to hear it. She turned on the shower as he laid his clothes on the bench beside hers.

“You're not sorry about last night, are you?” she said quietly.

“Not the slightest. Are you?”

“No,” she said.

He stepped into the shower with her, and she put her arms around his waist. She'd held him like this a thousand times before, and it was comforting and familiar. He stroked her hair as the shower rained down on it, flattening out the curls and waves.

  
  


They walked to breakfast, and chatted briefly with Al and Hannah. Over eggs and toast they decided to spend the morning on the beach. The usual games were set up and when Kurt was invited to join a game of volleyball, Kitty went for ice cream and watched from a lounge chair. Even with the Gregory Peck visage, he still moved like Kurt. She worried a little about the image inducer taking a hit and fritzing out, but it was supposed to be virtually indestructible and waterproof.

When the game ended, with no issues, he strolled over to her chair and sat on the end of it. “I think I need another shower,” he said. “Or a bath.”

“I do owe you one of those.”

“You don't, but I'll take the offer anyway.”

 _Yes_ , she thought, _everything is going to be fine_.

  
  


He showered before getting in the tub with her because, he said, he didn't want to stew her in his filth. Watching fish swimming beneath the glass tub was strange, but the view out the window was beautiful, and Kurt's chest at her back was warmer than the glass tub.

“We should have wine,” Kurt said, lazily stroking Kitty's arm.

“And cake.”

“Cake in a tub?”

“Why not? We're on vacation.”

“I'll get it then,” he said, and she scooted forward to let him out. He'd learned years ago that teleporting into and out of a tub was not too fun for anyone else in that tub. Of course, Kitty would probably be more good-natured about it.

He returned with wine and cake and Kitty rested her chin on the high edge of the tub and grinned up at him.

“You are shameless, Kätzchen,” he said.

“I can't help it.” She reached for her glass of wine while he climbed in again. “Did you ever figure out who walked in on your shower?”

He laughed. “I think it was a dream.”

“You dreamed about me?”

“Lots of times.”

“I hope good dreams,” she said, trying not to get cake crumbs in the water.

“Oh yes, always.”

“Like what? Tell me one.”

“I remembered the shower one late last night. It was as I said, you walked in. But, uh, the reason I'm sure it was a dream is because in it, you didn't leave.”

She was eating cake over the edge of the tub, crumbs going all over the floor, and a piece of cake in her hands, giving him an amused glance. He slid closer in the water, and kissed her hair.

“Kitty, I love you.”

She couldn't reply with cake in her mouth, but she tipped her head towards him. She set the last bite of cake down on the floor and put her arms around him. “I love you, too.”

This was something he had never thought possible, to have Kitty's love. He'd dreamed of it, hoped for it, prayed for it, but never believed it would happen. All morning he'd wondered if he was dreaming again, the shower dream but in more detail. But here she was, in his arms, holding him like he was the most precious thing in her life.

“Think we should get out?” she said.

“If you want to.”

“Water's getting cold.”

He pulled the plug and stood, holding her hand while she stepped out. Her skin seemed to glow, light reflecting off the water that ran down her body in rivulets. She left her clothes behind when she walked out, and he followed her onto the deck like a puppy.

She patted the chair beside her and he sat down obediently, wondering at the look in her eyes. Had she always looked at him like this and he had never noticed? She swung her leg over and faced him in his lap, smiling like she'd won a contest.

“What?”

She tilted her head down to look at his chest and run her hands across it. All those years of looking and never touching...all she wanted to do was touch him. She leaned in toward his neck and kissed him and he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer.


	7. Going Home

On the last day, they took a sunset cruise with a few other couples. Sailing out into the sea, they watched the sun go down and make orange and pink and red dance across the sky. They were far enough out that, before sunset, they even saw dolphins. Some swam close to the boat, but whenever anyone reached for them, they would dance away, seeming to laugh at them.

Dinner was served on the boat, and when they returned to the villa for the night, Kitty had to admit it had been a pretty ideal vacation. She was calmer, relaxed, and ready to face the world again. She didn't send the pictures to Logan until the next morning.

Almost immediately she began to get replies from him. They ranged from, “What the hell is this?” to “What the hell is going on?” and finally, “You aren't funny.” And then Kurt's phone rang. Not a text. A _call_.

He answered it as if it might explode. “ _Hallo_ , Logan. How are thi—”

Kitty couldn't hear what he was saying, but Kurt's face was amused. “ _Danke_ , Logan. _Ja_ , we've had a very nice vacation. Relaxing.”

Logan spoke again, words Kitty could hear but not quite understand. “I will,” Kurt said before he hung up.

“Well?” Kitty demanded as soon as the call ended. “Is he gonna kill you or me? Or both of us?”

“Neither, Kätzchen. He's happy.”

“Well good, because Piotr might not be.”

He honestly had not thought about that at all. Piotr was more of a legitimate concern than Logan was. Though it had been a joke between them, it was fun because they knew Logan would never hurt either of them. Piotr, however, was not as easily trusted.

“We'll have to hope he can stay calm,” Kurt said, hoping he sounded less concerned than he was.

After they had packed, they spent the last two hours on the deck, basking in the sun and sea breeze. Kitty had her head on his chest. Now and then he kissed the top of her head or brushed his hand over her arm.

“Thanks for this, Kurt. I needed a break. Really, this was the most amazing vacation.”

“I enjoyed it, too. Thank you for trusting me enough to come along.”

“I've always trusted you. Even when I was scared of you, and that's the truth.”

“I didn't know that,” he said quietly. “ _Danke_ for telling me.”

She rolled over, leaned her arms against his chest, and kissed him. He stroked her hair and held her close.

“Thank _you_ ,” she said, and kissed his cheek.

“What for?” He kissed her back.

“You've always been there when I needed you.”

“I needed you, too,” He said and kissed her again, running his hands down her back and into her hair.

The alert sounded on Kitty's phone. Time to go. One last glance around for straggling items before they went out the door, and they headed down the jetty hand in hand.


End file.
